TESL my TESL...

Every journey has a beginning, and an ending...

And thus, my wonderful journey that I embarked on as a lecturer to my first Drama in Education cohort is almost coming to an end...

I remember seeing them all, one by one, their faces eager to learn, but shying away in the beginning, all reserved in the small cocoons of their own little worlds...

And when they opened up, one by one, I saw in them different, beautiful personalities, each unique in their own way... each finding a place in my affections...and eventually each finding a place in my heart.

Yesterday night was a special night that marked the ending of this journey with them, on the one hand a sense of overwhelming pride that I had directly played a part in their journeys as teachers, building the very foundation of our nation, and even more so, as human beings, being the very essence of who they were and what they became...

To commemorate this night, I sang for them... A tune that they all knew and loved... A tune that we shared sleepless nights with, working towards the completion of our ultimate project - to put on a show to remember!

Yes, this is the closing of our journey together as teacher and student... But this is only a fork in the road in the journey of our lives... Until we meet again, may the Lord Almighty keep you in His grace and protection...

I love you all...

Beverage of the Ages

It used to be that I couldn't drink coffee...

I've always loved coffee, but somewhere starting along my mid-20s I developed a condition that would cause me to bloat whenever I indulged in this glorious beverage. As a result, it would be a case of 'eat now, pay later', where all the enjoyment of the present would be counterweighed by the unpleasant consequences of the near future. A painful acid-reflux reaction often does that to people. So the question that I would have to ask myself would be - "How badly do I need that cup of coffee?"

But strangely enough, over the past few weeks, I found that coffee didn't have this averse effect on me anymore...temporary relief or permanent healing? I don't know... Perhaps it's the mangosteen juice that I've been drinking...

Anyhow, from the frying pan into the fire...

Now I can't get enough of that dark delicious aroma... Tantalising my taste buds all through the working day, enticing me into its hot and passionate embrace when I get back from work... That warm feeling of total relaxation and satisfaction of a hot cup of coffee after a long hard day... Priceless...

However, the thing is, although I love the taste of coffee, I just hate the 'buzz'...That feeling where all the senses are amplified and you just can't sit still... It's awful! Just like how a child reacts during a sugar rush!...especially the 'coffee buzz' after a venti mug of Caramel Macchiato at Starbucks... 

But why do I keep ordering it?

Sigh... Coffee thou art my undoing...

The Birthday

Birthdays in my family are usually a happy time - not because we'd have an over the top party or anything, but because it would be the time when the whole family would usually be together, just the share pizza and cake (if for no better reason).

Yesterday was my sister Huda's birthday (Huda the genius - definitely my father's genes all over), but we celebrated it today. Before the party I had the task of looking for her birthday present... The thing is, it's kind of hard to buy presents for girls - buy them a dress and it's not their colour...buy them a skirt and it doesn't fit...so on and so on...so what did I do? Called up the wife and asked for Huda's shoe size...called up my sister Salihah and asked her Huda's shoe size...and bought the safest pair of shoes that were fashionable and could be worn with most colour combinations (and on sale of course!)...hehehehehe... I was so glad she liked them!

However, the party itself was where it hit me the most... all the places that were usually occupied were empty...

My dad was in KL on business, Sameerah & Bruce were in KL; Ammar, Nad & little Aimie, were in KL; Salihah was in UITM Shah Alam; Omer was in MRSM Mersing... I wondered if this was how things were going to be in the future, and with a sense of acceptance, I realised that this is how life was, and will always be...

We only have a short amount of time where we can enjoy being together in the nest of the family, before we all sprout wings and fly away...

I miss my family...